


Fluorescent Adolescences

by analee



Category: Danny Phantom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25216150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/analee/pseuds/analee
Summary: Will a guilt driven sleepover gone wrong finally push two love birds into a much needed conversation? Let's find out.
Relationships: Danny Fenton/Sam Manson
Comments: 16
Kudos: 32





	1. Diamond Cutter-Shaped Heartaches

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1
> 
> (Set right after Memory Blank in season 2)

Sam sits on the ground, head resting against the railing of her bedroom balcony, and sighs. She's furious at herself for even momentarily wishing she didn't know her best friend. She wouldn't be sitting here thinking that if Danny had never met her, maybe he wouldn't be half dead right now. Maybe he wouldn't have to deal with daily ghost fights, slipping grades, and an inhumane lack of sleep. Honestly, he still becomes a halfa in the time-line she wasn't in, and she gets that, but a sick part of her still blames herself. Every bruise on his pale body is because of her.

Don't get her wrong she gets an intense rush of adrenaline hunting ghost, protecting her town. It's like she's a dorky high school student by day and a badass superhero by night. As an ultra-recyclo-vegetarian, all she wants to do is save the planet. The thing is, Danny isn't Sam. Danny wants a normal teen-hood where he can date pretty cheerleaders and go to Nasty Burger without a Box Ghost attack.

She knows he has no hard feelings towards her, and somewhat enjoys his undead secret life, but she can't help the wave of guilt that washes over her. All he wanted to do tonight was go to a party, live a normal teenage life, but she held a movie over his head. He's saved her life countless times, she practically killed him, and she couldn't allow one night where Danny could just be a normal 16 year old.

_What kind of friend am I?_ She thinks as she runs her fingers through her long, raven hair.

He's always put her and Tucker first no matter the consequences, and she throws a fit the one time he doesn't. In the midst of her pity party, she hardly hears her phone buzz.

**Ghost-Boy: What's the chances you have notes for our English quiz Monday? A ghost may or may not have eaten my notebook.**

She smiles, she can't help but be smitten to his charm and humor. Here he is, this town hero, fighting to keep Amity Park safe, killing himself in the process, and yet he still finds time to ask her about something as mundane as English homework. Something about this text brought an emotion up in Sam. Something about the guilt of the day mixed with late-night overthinking made her want to do something grand for Danny, but what can she do?

She smiles as an idea forms. She hops off of her balcony, grabs her black book bag, digs her notebook out, and tosses it onto her bed. She runs into her closet, changes into a pair of yoga shorts and a Casper High tank top. She also grabs her skull-patterned overnight bag. In it, she tosses her notebook, a change of clothes, and a few toiletries. She sneaks out of her bedroom slowly and quietly, making extra sure not to wake her sleeping parents. When she finally makes it out her front door she lets out a huge sigh of relief.

She starts towards her black BMW, but after a quick sniff of the fresh summer air opts to walk the two blocks to her dead friend's home, hoping the fresh air would clear her head.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny walks into his room after a much-needed shower. His jet-black hair, still damp after he lazily ran a towel through it, was sticking to his neck and face. He adjusts the towel wrapped around his waist as he digs through his dresser for a pair of sleep pants. He checks his phone in disappointment that Sam hasn't texted him back. He knew his little goth of the night wasn't asleep at a mere midnight and he could really use help on the upcoming test. Honestly, after the day they've had he just wants to hear from her and know she's okay. As tough of a girl as she is, Danny knows Sam has a huge heart and is probably blaming herself and her wish on today.

He's busy checking out a new forming bruise in his full-length mirror when he hears a light tap on his window. He turns to see a blushing Sam balancing on the ladder outside his room. She waves at him sheepishly and motions to let her in. Danny rushes and unlocks the window, surprised when not only his best friend but her overnight bag falls onto his bed.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam lies breathless on the twin mattress for a moment. Her chest heaving from the 2 block jog followed by climbing a ladder to the third floor of the Fenton house. Not to mention she's flushed from the sight of her once lanky best friend shirtless before her. It seems like just yesterday Danny was this scrawny little boy, but after almost a year of fighting ghosts, he's got a pretty good body. Despite the purple bruises dotting his pale skin, his chest and arms were toned into the body of a man. A _hot_ man at that.

_Woah Sam, calm down. What are you doing checking out your best friend?_ She thinks to herself. _It was hard not to check him out, even though she knows he's off-limits_. They've been best friends since elementary school no moment of lust is going to ruin that.

"Sam?!" Danny says in a loud whisper.

"Shut the fuck up dumbness, do you want your parents knowing I'm here this late?" The last thing her budding anxiety needs is Jack Fenton busting through the door in his sleep hat swinging a Fenton Anti-Creep Stick around. As her breathing calmed, she listens for voices in the Fenton house and is relieved to hear silence aside Jack's snores down the hall.

She sits up on the bed to see Danny smiling at her, "What are you doing here?" He asks, sitting beside her.

"Something I didn't realize was crazy and risky until I was halfway up your ladder."

They both laughed, "It's crazy my parents haven't noticed that ladder yet. I guess they never thought little Danny Fenton would have a pretty girl crawl into his room late at night." Danny winked at a blushing Sam.

She hits him in the chest and giggles, "I'm here with the English notes you requested. I can't sleep so I figured we could study."

She tosses the overnight bag in front of her on the bed, digs out the notebook, and tosses it into Danny's lap.

"Why didn't you just text me, we could have met up tomorrow instead of you risking an internal grounding by sneaking out." The smile on his face gave away he's not the tiniest bit upset by this late-night visit.

She sighs and scratches the back of her neck, "Look today was difficult. I can't help but feel guilty so if helping you with English notes is something I can do I want to do it. I kinda act on impulse if you haven't noticed."

Danny completely tuned out her response, all too distracted by the skin exposed as her shirt hikes with Sam's arm to scratch her neck. Her skin looks so soft and pale; like she's a porcelain doll. Her breathing is still heavy and the rise and fall of her chest isn't helping his teenage mind concentrate. He's speechless to the idea that Sam Manson snuck out to climb into his bedroom window.

Sam quickly notices that Danny is spaced out and smirks, of course, he would get bored halfway through an answer to a question he asked.

While Danny not so subtly checked out Sam, he notices wet blood dripping from her hand. He picked it up to investigate the small cut.

"Are you hurt? How did you manage this on a two-block walk?" He asked as he walked to his dresser to pull out his heavily used first aid kit. He sits on his knees by the bed, and they both blush as he takes her bleeding hand. He uses a tissue to wipe away the blood and an alcohol wipe to clean the wound. Finally, he takes out a pack of Danny Phantom bandaids and put one on her hand.

She looks at the hand still in Danny's larger one, her body warm from the amount of care he's showing her over one small scrape. _He's your best friend._ She repeats to herself in her head.

"I must have scratched it on the ladder, wait you have merch now? Where did you even find bandaids."

Danny smiles at her and laughed as he runs his thumb over the wound, smoothing out the black bandaid.

"What can I say, I'm sorta a big deal." He winks.

She hit him with a pillow and laughs, "Phantom is a big deal, Fenton is a dude who's going to fail his English test Monday. Now let's get to studying it's the least I can do after all. "

Danny, still holding her injured hand, gently brings it to his mouth and kisses the cut before pulling himself up to sit beside her on the bed again. He smirks at her instant red face, he loves that he has this effect on her.

"Sam, you know I'm not upset about the wish. We talked about it. It isn't a big deal. You owe me nothing."

Sam swallows, unable to find her words after feeling Danny's lips on her palm. She's worried that with his supernatural hearing he knows her heart is beating a mile a minute. One glance at the smirk on his lips and she's certain he can.

_He's your best friend. FRIEND._

Danny finally releases her hand, gently placing it by her side.

"Is it better?" He asks.

"Much. Thank you."

She takes a moment to look at Danny closely for the first time tonight and notices the slight blush tinting his cheeks as well. This comforts her a bit knowing she has a similar effect on him. She wonders if he understood it better, she wonders if his heart was beating as wildly. At least she can take comfort in knowing she somewhat isn't alone in what she's feeling tonight.

For a moment they sit there, quiet. Looking into each other's eyes. Taking in this new, intense emotion taking over their bodies. Sam is the first to look away. She lowers her gaze, but it lands on his bare chest. It's heaving heavily, much like hers, showing her that maybe - just maybe- he's as nervous as she is. She finds herself staring at his toned chest for much longer than she likes to admit. She finds herself thinking about how soft his skin looks and -

_Oh my God, what am I doing? Since when do I check out my best friend?! Especially with no shame, he's staring right at me. Oh my God, he has to have noticed._

Her mind is going a mile a minute while she tares her eyes away from his chest.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course, Danny doesn't miss her watching him, and if he's being honest, he really enjoys her staring. If he's being honest, he wants nothing more than to give in to this sudden desire to feel her skin. He wants to grab her and feel her body against his. He wants to hear what sounds she makes while her eyes flutter closed in pleasure. He wants to see how red her cheeks could get. He wants… Sam.

This is Sam, his best friend, his literal partner in crime. Someone he sees and talks to every day. Someone who knows every little embarrassing thing about him. How could for a second he consider crossing the line between friendship and lust. He can't risk ever fucking up the most important friendship he's ever had. He can't image catching ghosts without her by his side.

Let's face it Tucker isn't exactly handy with the thermos and if we're being honest isn't the most graceful of partners either. Not to say Danny isn't grateful for his tech friend's help and support, it's just between the two Sam is the better sidekick.

His mind runs rapid with ideas of Tucker falling down a hill, the thermos landing in a lake. Tucker distracted by his PDA while the box ghost packaged him like a present. Tucker is a great sidekick, Danny would be long gone without his smarts, but as much love as he holds for his oldest friend, he knows Tucker isn't exactly graceful or street smart.

Team Phantom would be doomed without Sam, and that would mean Amity Park would be destroyed by ghosts in no time. But thoughts of the town aside, he could lose his best friend, and the idea of Sam Manson never talking to him again is worse than an eternity as Skulker's prisoner.

But there she is… staring at him, the same way he's staring at her. If she makes a move does he have the strength to deny her? Does he even want to? He clears his throat, hoping to clear his mind of the pg-13 thoughts about his best friend. Sam is doing her best to avoid looking at him. He freaks out, things are getting weird, he can't let things get weird.

Looking in front of her he notices the big bag, why didn't she just bring her book bag with her? Aren't we supposed to be studying?

Curious he asks, "So, what's up with the giant purse."

Sam visibly relaxes. She smiles sheepishly and says, "It's not a purse, it's an overnight bag…"

Danny raises an eyebrow and does his best to hide his smirk, "An overnight bag, hmm? I thought you came over to study. Exactly what subject did you have in mind, miss Manson."

_Fuck, I'm flirting again. Do I not have an off switch?_ Danny thinks. Scolding himself.

Sam turns cherry red, she chokes and regrets all her life decisions. She mentally curses the inventor of bags and herself for not taking one fucking second to think before rushing to Danny's.

"Well, it's already like 1am and I figured I can head back in the morning before your parents are up and I don't have to walk back in the dark and I will obviously sleep on the floor. Fuck, I should have asked first instead of just showing up, I'm sorry Dan-"

"Sam, chill. I'm just teasing. You're always welcome here, you know that." Danny smiles, something about the way she rambles is too cute; it makes him feel all weird inside knowing that he did that to her.

"It totally doesn't have to be an overnight bag, we can study for a bit and I'll head back. I just sorta headed over here without thinking. Forget I said anything, it's 100 percent a large purse, not an overnight bag." Sam rambles, she turns a brighter shade of pink with each passing second.

Danny, leans closer to Sam, smirking. "So, it's not an overnight bag?"

Sam frantically shakes her head, "Definitely _NOT_ an overnight bag."

Danny frowns and Sam realizes he's millimeters away from her face. She could feel his body heat radiating off of him… Heat being a strong word, he feels more like a cold chill and she can't help but wonder if that was his ghost genes or her own dirty mind causing her to shiver. She curses herself as she notices he's still very much shirtless and for the second time that night finds herself staring with wonder at his naked chest.

A weird sense of pride feels Danny as he catches her checking him out again. His beautiful, sexy best friend finds him at least somewhat attractive. Suddenly he finds himself wanting her to stay. He doesn't want her nerves scaring her back home, no matter how bad of an idea the rational side of him thinks it could be.

He puts his rational side to rest as he lifts her face to meet his eyes, raises an eyebrow and says,

"That's too bad."


	2. That Fear That you Can't Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to heat up between our favorite pair of angsty teens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long delay. I recently found out I am accepting into grad school and am in the process of moving across country... during a pandemic... and seasonal depression. Wish me luck!

Sam looks like a deer in headlights. _There is absolutely no way I heard him right… right?_

"Wh-what?” she asks. 

Danny smirks; his face is still too close to her own.

“I said, that’s too bad. I think you should stay here tonight.”

Sam can only describe the feeling forming in the pit of her stomach as _sinful_. She clenches her legs together in an attempt to stop these fast-growing emotions towards her best friend. Danny leans back slightly; satisfied as he watches her eyes darken.

She taps her chin feigning confusion, “Oh yeah, and why is that?” 

She tilts her head slightly, smiling at him. Two can play at this game of flirt. 

_What are we doing? This is dangerous territory._ She thinks for a moment before pushing away any thoughts of backing down. Sam is never one to turn down a challenge, and tonight Danny Fenton is challenging her. 

Danny bites his lower lip to hide a new forming smile. Why is he enjoying this so much? He knows the dangerous territory they’re getting into. What happened to his shy rambling Sam? He looks at the smirk on her purple lips and knows they are too far into this to turn back. There's nothing wrong with a little late-night flirting between friends, _right_?

“Well, as you said, it’s late. I wouldn’t want you walking home at the witching hour. You never know when you might catch the attention of a ghost.” 

His oceanic eyes flash emerald for a moment as he smiles at her.

“Danny,” Sam starts in a warning tone, “Your parents are right across the hall. You know they haven’t let us have a sleepover without Tucker since we were ten.”

The young halfa hardly listens as he unzips his gothic best friend's black duffle bag. He pulls out a toothbrush and flashes his best shit-eating grin.

“Then why did you bring over a toothbrush?”

“Dental care is important. You never know when a brush is necessary!” Sam defends as she snatches the toothbrush from his hands. 

“And the change of clothes?” 

“Okay fine, I intended to stay the night, but now I realize how stupid of an idea it is. I should really get going before the ‘w _itching hour’_ strikes.” She says, zipping her bag.

Danny isn’t sure why he wants her here so badly. Maybe it’s this fun, new side of Sam their little game is bringing out. The side he hardly gets to see. Maybe, the day took a more significant toll on him than he wants to admit, but the one thing he does know is: he doesn’t want her to leave. 

He wraps Sam in his arms preventing her from zipping the bag, the close contact turning the teens bright red. It doesn't take supernatural hearing for Sam to know Danny’s heart is beating as wildly as her own. As she feels him lean close to her ear his warm breath and his low, husky voice cause her insides to tingle; the _sinful_ feeling from earlier magnifies. 

“Stay with me.”

“Why do you want me to stay so badly?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” He counters.

“Your parents.”

“Are asleep. And are heading out for a ghost convention early in the morning.”

“Jazz,” she states.

Danny sighs in minor annoyance; why was she looking for so many excuses?

“I doubt she’ll even realize you’re here, and if she does, why would she care?”

Sam sighs. This sleepover is one way or another crossing a line in their friendship. Whatever emotions the night has woken in the two ghost hunters is messing with their logic, and Sam has always been hell-bent on doing things her own way. She knows this was wrong. Sam can practically see her mother fainting at the idea of her prestige daughter sleeping over at a _boys_ house… but at the end of the day, this boy is Danny. Her best friend. 

Something is intriguing to both of them about this Tucker-less sleepover. The rebellious adrenaline that comes with no-one knowing. The heated rush of sneaking around their parents' backs.

“Where would I sleep?” Sam says as she turns to face Danny, sitting Indian style on his bed. She blushes as her bare toes brush his thigh in the move. 

“Who says we’d sleep?”

Friends can stay up all night without anything… _weird_ happening, right? 

_It’s just a bit of flirty banter. This sleepover won’t be hard at all. Not one bit… hard._ Danny thinks to himself, crossing his legs tighter to hide the _painful a_ ffect their banter is having.

Sam quirks an eyebrow and crosses her arms across her chest, “What would we do exactly? Surely you don’t want to study all night, do you?”

Danny blushes and tries to blink away images of what he really wants to say. 

_I’ve never felt such a strong urge to kiss someone. This is SAM for God's sake._

“We could listen to some music, talk more, maybe watch movies?” Danny smiles.

Sam pushes away the disappointment of his answer.

_What were you expecting? - Maybe something to gauge these feelings. Do I have feelings? What does this mean for Team Phantom? More importantly, our friendship?_

Sam looks up, desperate to escape her confusing thoughts. In front of her, a still shirtless Danny is stretching, smiling cutely at her. When their eyes meet he blushes a deep red. 

This gives a shot of courage to Sam, enough to agree to this terrible idea of a sleepover. 

“I’ll stay, on one condition.” 

Danny throws his fist in the air in victory, “Anything you want.” 

Sam musters all of her confidence, leans forward, and places both hands on Danny’s crossed legs. She leans close to his ear, mocking his teasing from earlier, and in a low, breathy voice says, “I get to pick the movie.” 

She can hear Danny swallow as she slowly leans back, a smirk resting on her lips.

“For the _pleasure_ of your company all night long, I can handle whatever movie you decide.” He winks at her, watching as Sam visibly shivers.

_Maybe this isn’t such a good idea._

Pulling her phone from the side pocket of her duffle bag, Sam says, “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner. My driver can pick me up, and I’ll get home safe and ghost attack free. No risk of parental trouble.”

She flashes an awkward smile, so much for confident Sam. 

Before she could blink, she feels a shiver of cold air, and Danny is holding Sam’s black iPhone in his hands. 

“I don’t think so.” 

"No fair, you can’t use ghost powers like that," she says as she launches forward to tackle him. They giggle as they wrestle for the phone. Danny uses his hand pressed against her stomach to tickle her, causing her to giggle to turn into hearty laughs. 

Sam flails, causing them to fall off of the twin bed, landing in an _unfortunate_ position. Her shirt rises slightly in the fall, causing their torsos to meet and tingles to erupt everywhere their skin touches. 

Danny, however, isn’t giving up and tickles her again. The squirming girl beneath him is driving him crazy.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stay. Just please stop ticking me,” Sam says in-between giggles. She’s overwhelmed by the tingle his fingers touching her bare skin causes.

Danny flashes a satisfied grin as he uses all of his momenta to flip himself under her. He's quick to catch her hips before she topples over and quickly began her tickle assault again. He does his _absolute_ best not to think of the fact that Sam Manson is straddling his hips or the sensation her giggles are causing.

Pausing his hands on her rib cage, he flashes a sultry smile, feeling empowered by the blush on her cheeks darkening from their new position.

“Promise you’ll stay?” 

She sits up and glares at him. Trying her best not to think that in one quick wiggle, she could appease some of the growing heat between her thighs. 

_Oh God, what if he can feel it? Yoga shorts aren’t exactly the thickest thing in the world. I know he can hear my heartbeat. But, then again, I can hear his. Fuck, it would feel so good just to—- Stop Sam, fuck._ She thinks to herself.

Coming back to reality, she notices he is staring at her heaving chest as she catches her breath from the tickle assault. She smirks and notices the cell phone lying by his head. He’s distracted enough that she could grab it. Deep down, she knows she’s staying, but she’s dying to mess with him a little more. To keep this moment going just a moment more. 

In a quick movement, she pins his wrist and leans forward, grabbing the phone. She, however, doesn't anticipate losing balance trying to hold down a halfa and grab her phone. She falls chest-first onto Danny’s face before she has a chance to catch her balance.

At this point, both teen’s faces resemble the color of blood. Sam has to chew her lip to avoid making any noise as Danny’s hot breath hits her breast when he gasps. She tries to calm her heavy breathing as she slowly sits up in Danny's lap. After a moment, she gathers the courage to look at Danny’s face. His eyes are darker than she’s ever seen.

She writes it off as he’s a guy going through puberty; what teenage boy isn’t hormonal? The face is because of _boobs_ , not specifically _Sam’s boobs._ No matter the reason, she takes a short moment to etch the _growing_ feeling of his desire into her memory. One small movement of her hips and he would know she’s aware, but she can’t risk throwing more fuel on the fire. Not when her best friendship could go up in flames.

She quickly gathers her composer and lets out a weak, “Sorry.” 

“Promise?”

Sam looks at him confused, “What? It was an accident, I didn’t mean-“ 

Danny cut her off with a laugh, “No, no promise you’ll stay. You said if I stopped tickling you, you’d stay.”

Sam lets out a laugh in disbelief. Leave it to Danny to shift the awkward tension in the air. While Sam isn’t sure where the sudden braveness between the two has come from, she’s happy he can act normal. She’s able to relax and meet his smile. 

“I promise, but remember I pick the movie.”

A shiver goes up Danny’s spine, remembering Sam’s breath in his ear as she announced her one requirement to stay. Sam is hands down the coolest girl Danny knows, but this rare side of her brings out a side of Danny he didn’t know exists. A side that is _extremely_ attracted to his best friend, a side that _wants_ to cross the thinning line between friendship and more. 

After a moment, the two move to sit side by side on the bed once again. 

“So, what movie?” Danny asks, tilting his head towards the TV stand that holds his collection. 

He watches Sam as she adjusts her clothing and walks to the shelve holding his DVDs. He fights to not look at the way the yoga pants hugged her body as she bends down and brushes her finger against the DVD cases. 

_Is it really that wrong. I mean it’s obvious Sam’s gorgeous. I’m a teenage boy, I’m supposed to… react to girls, right? As long as I don’t act and scare her away, what’s wrong with a few sneaky glances?_ Danny thinks to himself, justifying the growing emotions of the night. 

He can’t help but think she’s beautiful as she flips her hair over her shoulder and continues to search through his movie collection. It’s no wonder these _dirty_ thoughts are happening. Sure, Sam has a tough exterior. She doesn’t let many people close, but when she does, oh God, when she does, she’s a whirlwind of a person. Gorgeous inside and out.

He covers his lap with his comforter, doing his best to hide his lower region's discomfort. 

As she pulls a DVD from the case and turns to him with a satisfied smile, he hopes with all he has it isn’t a long movie like Hamlet. 

_Please, please, please be Hereditary. Anything short and gory._ He thinks, hoping it’s a turnoff, scary movie. 

“What did you pick,” he says, forcing a smile. 

With a smirk, she shows him the case. _“Friends With Benefits.”_

Danny’s eyes grow to the size of saucers. This is going to be a very long, _hard_ , night.

**Author's Note:**

> So I've wanted to write a Danny Phantom fanfiction for years now, I know that the show ended YEARS ago so there may not even be an audience for it anymore, but I am starting writing school soon and figured I could get some drabbles and practice out of me on fanfiction. This is the place that started my love for writing. Note that I'm writing here purely for exercise so if things aren't 100% edited or perfect I apologize. This story here came to me after rereading an old Austin and Ally fanfiction I used to love.
> 
> PS: Are there any other adults out there reading fanfictions for their old kid shows still? I can't be alone xD.


End file.
